Story :The Baal Shem Tov‏

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Story :The Baal Shem Tov‏
















Over 300 years ago when a Jew by the name of Yisroel Baal Shem (a.k.a. the Baal Shem Tov or Besh’t for short) began revitalizing Judaism by advertising his deep and inspiring ideas called "Chassidut". But he met with great opposition.



Judaism at that time was seriously divided into two groups; the learned class and the ignorant class and there was little or no contact between them.



The Baal Shem, wanted to change all that. He stressed that each and every Jew, learned or not, is a "son" of G-d and, although knowledge, erudition and understanding are essential, so are simplicity and humility (Which ultimately will be taught to all mankind by the Moshiach). So he ordered his followers to teach the simple Jews Torah and the intellectual Jews humility.



This raised the scholarly Jews up in arms. They mistakenly felt threatened: the Baal Shem Tov by doubting the supremacy of intellect was threatening their status.



They branded the Besh’t as an apostate and forbade the learning of his teachings. He and his followers were ostracized and even beaten. But despite their wrath, the Besht's opponents never managed to find real facts to support their accusations and the Chassidic movement gained more and more followers.



One of the spearheads of the opposition was a G-d fearing scholar and Kabalist by the name of Rabbi Dovid Forkis.



He vehemently despised the Chassidim but, because one day it dawned on him that it is forbidden to condemn them only from hearsay, he decided that he had to see for himself.



He first sent a pupil of his to attend one of the Besht's Shabbat meals and the pupil returned with the following report: The Besh't had all types of followers some simple people and some great scholars. But one interesting thing was that when they all sat down to eat the Sabbath meal, just after they washed their hands before eating bread, everyone except the Besh’t fell asleep for several seconds until the Besh’t took his first bite.



The next Friday afternoon, six hours before the Shabbat began (the Jewish date begins at nightfall) Rav Dovid slept well so he would be sure to be fresh that night and that evening, after finishing his Shabbat evening prayers, he walked over to the Besht's Synagogue and arrived just as they were preparing the table for the Shabbat Meal.



Rav Dovid sat among them. Then the Besh't came to the table, filled a cup with wine, made "Kiddush" and they all washed their hands in the ritual manner before eating bread. But as soon as the Besh’t washed his hands from the vessel that was brought to him Rav Dovid suddenly felt very drowsy.



Usually he succeeded in fighting slumber and keeping awake but this time he felt helpless. His head drooped down on his chest and he fell into a deep unexplainable sleep.



Suddenly he found himself standing with several rabbis in a large celestial room. They were listening to an argument between the Baal Shem and his best pupil Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritz about the kabalistic meaning of N'tilat Yadaim (Washing before bread).



Rabbi Dov Ber contended that his master's explanation was too simple and not according to the Ar'i Zal (Rabbi Isaac Luria; the most outstanding Jewish Mystic of all time circ. 1600) while the Besh't held that his opinion fit the spiritual level of our low generation and today even the Ar'i would certainly agree with it.


From nowhere appeared another Jew, a younger man of indescribable radiance and holiness, who listened intently to both sides of the heated discussion and finally announced "The law is like the Baal Shem Tov!"



Rav Dovid began trembling with awe. He realized that the intruder was obviously the Ar'i himself.


Suddenly the dream stopped, he awoke at the dinner table and all the Chassidim were singing, swaying back and forth.



The Besh't, however, was in another world. His eyes were closed and he sat perfectly still as though listening to some heavenly message.



Suddenly he cleared his throat, the room fell silent, and he began to speak.



Rav Dovid was all ears. The Besh't spoke about the commandment of washing the hands before eating bread. He connected it to the Torah section of that week and explained the connection from many angles bringing sources, exact quotes and pages, for every idea.



"Nice!" thought Rav Forkis to himself. "He is certainly a genius! But there are a lot of geniuses.



But when he began expounding Kabilistic ideas suddenly his prize pupil Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritz who sat in the closest seat to him mumbled an objection.



"That is not what is written in the Ar'i Zal! The Ar'i writes something different!" he said. And he began quoting by heart from the Shaar HaKavanot, (the book of kabalistic intentions).


"No no!" Answered the Besh't, 'I am right and even the Ar'i would agree! Our generation is different. And if you don't believe me just ask Rav Dovid Forkis, he just heard in heaven how the Ar'i agreed with me."



At that point Rav Dovid became one the Baal Shem Tov's most adamant followers.